Generation Rx

I’ve been reading a book by Greg Critser entitled Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives, Minds and Bodies. Critser approaches this topic with journalistic inquiry as to why we Americans have greatly increased our consumption of prescription medications to the tune of about $200 billion per year. He digs into how the relationship between government and Big Pharma has contributed to a growing relationship between Americans and their drugs through direct-to-consumer advertising, beguiled(by pharma reps) physicians, and what he calls “half-asses” or people who just want to get their condition treated with a drug and aren’t much concerned about compliance.

I found especially interesting his exploration of “liver load” or the fact that drugs are something that stress the liver. We don’t really know how many drugs or for how long the liver can sustain processing medications before it poops out. In the last chapter his advice about drugs sounds like this: “When you think about drugs, recite these mantras: Drugs are poisons — useful poisons but poisons nonetheless. Everytime you use one you also “use” one or more vital organs to process it…Say it. Say it again.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Critser has provided a great read. His research is in depth and eye opening. But, Critser does not spend an enormous amount of time blaming–if anything, he points out that modern life leads to chronic disease if we, the owners of these here bodies, don’t spend time trying to keep them well. Drugs will not save us…we must save ourselves.

*Dr. Sarah Westcott is the mom to Emma (6), Asher (4) and Ben (2). She is one of the wellness Chiropractors at Adirondack Advanced Chiropractic (www.adirondackchiropractic.com).

4 Responses

I could write volumes related to this post, but will attempt to restrain myself. There is no doubt that the extensive marketing of pharmaceuticals is an issue. My European friends believe every male in the U.S. has ED.

While this author of the above-mentioned book may have used the words “stress the liver” related to drugs, I think this doesn’t explain the big picture about what the role of our liver is in the first place. The liver has many, many enzymes that bioconvert compounds endogenous to our bodies, like steroid hormones (testosterone, estrogen, etc), but also any foreign or xenobiotic compounds. Many of these xenobiotics actually come from the foods we eat and the substances we drink each day as well as from drug compounds. Salicylates (similar to aspirin) are very commonly found in fruits and vegetables and are processed by our liver. Caffeine is processed by our liver. Vit C is also processed by our liver and high doses of Vit C DO STRESS the liver tremendously.

One of the most toxic compounds to the liver is actually an over-the-counter drug called acetaminophen. Many of us know this drug as Tylenol. Many MDs do not realize the high load they sometimes can put on patients because many pain killers (hydrocodone, for example) come loaded with acetaminophen. If you are taking those, you should not be taking Tylenol as well.

Our liver is not the only place where drugs are metabolized. The skin has the same enzymes, but in lower concentration. The intestine has enzymes that can actually reverse drug metabolism. People who are vegetarians have different enzyme levels in their intestines such that they effectively have “slower” metabolism than meat eaters. The intestinal flora affect drug metabolism and this has been well documented for 20 yrs. I wrote a report on this topic for my graduate level DRUG METABOLISM class 18 years ago.

So, the real mantra you need to say to yourself is “Thank goodness my liver is there otherwise normal life would be toxic to me.”

Direct marketing of prescription drugs to end consumers is a crock. There is no reason consumers should be made painfully aware of the latest high markup medication that Merk or Pfizer has released on the market. Consumers have neither the ability to buy these drugs directly or the skills to determine if they are appropriate for their own case. It has reduced the doctor client interaction and heightened the “Doc in a Box” issue.

I won’t rehash the Julie’s post. In the end it’s the dose that makes the poison. There doesn’t appear to be any long term health repercussions from engaging the liver at a safe level although you should always be cautious as damage is often irreversible and life threatening.

Modern life does not lead to chronic disease. We are probably partially witnessing more people living through diseases that would have killed them even as recently as 30 years ago. Not that we don’t have to maintain ourselves, but we are witnessing yet another change in how people maintain their health over the millennia.

Sorry I didn’t write this a moment ago, but I disagree with Eric’s comment that “modern life does not lead to chronic disease.” Heart disease and cancer, the top 2 killers of people in the country are chronic diseases and are inevitably the result of poor lifestyle choices in most cases (please, read again, most cases). There are countless research studies pointing to the fact that our modern lives full of diet and movement deficiencies and toxicities not to mention the stress created by our 24/7 work lives and culture is related to heart disease and cancer. It isn’t just the genes-our genes haven’t changed in thousands of years, but our diets have and so have our exercise patterns. One cannot maintain a wait and see attitude with health. Our medical care is second to none-take care of yourself and perhaps you will have to use minimally.

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